Non-refillable bottle



(No Modem 0. A. LORD. N0N7RBFILLABLE BOTTLE.

No.. 577,963. Patented Mar. 2; 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. LORD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 577,963, dated March 2, 1897.

Application filed November 26, 1895. Serial No. 570,175. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CHARLES A. LORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Unrefillable Bottles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to bottles; and its object is to produce a bottle which, after being emptied, cannot be refilled. Some of the devices which have been invented for this purpose may be effective to prevent the refilling of a bottle by the simple act of pouring liquid into it, but so far as I am aware not one of them makes it impossible to fill the bottle by turning it upside down or partly so and then pumping liquid into it. In such a case the interior valve is displaced as it is in the act of pouring out the contents, and this makes it comparatively easy to pump liquid in through a thin flexible nozzle.

My invention is intended to make it impossible to refill the bottle by any means whatever, and I have devised asimple, cheap, and practical construction for such purpose.

The accompanying drawings show my invention fully, and I refer to them in connection with this specification.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a bottle the neck of which is shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a similar section of the neck with the parts in the position which they assume while liquid is being poured out. Fig. 3 is a separate view of the inner valve-chamber. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 00 0c of Fig. 1.

The neck A of the bottle is formed with a slight bulge or enlargement in the process of making.

B is a casing or chamber, preferably of glass, and having a closed top 1 and an open bottom 2. This chamber is made separately and is secured within the neck of the bottle before the latteris finishedt'. 6., during the process of making it. This can readily be done, since the glass of the neck is then soft and adheres firmly.

The bottom of the chamber B is secured near the base of the neck, and the top near the upper end of the enlargement of the neck. The upper edge of chamber B is provided with two or more projections 3, (four are shown in the drawings,) against which the neck of the bottle is closed down firmly. There will thus be two or more openings 4 (four are shown in the drawings) to permit the liquid which escapes from the inner chamber to pass out to the mouth of the bottle. In the wall of the chamber B, and preferablyjust below the top, are openings 5, which in position are just under the projections 3, Fig. 3. Thus the contents of the bottle can escape from one of these openings and then find its way out between two of the projections, (see dotted arrows in Fig. 2;) but this construction renders it practically impossible to introduce a wire or other implement into the interior of the chamber B. Each projection 3 is a guard foreach opening 5, being directly above and in line with it.

The chamber B is preferably tapered slightly downward, as shown, its lower open end being just sufficient to admit the valve 0. The valve is preferably a ball placed in position when the chamber Bis being made, and after it has been inserted a seat 6 for the valve is secured to it. This seat is a ring of glass or of any other substance that it may be preferred to use, among which cork may be mentioned. In Fig. 1 a cork ring is supposed to have been sprung into a groove formed in the wall of chamber B, while in Fig. 3 a ring of glass is supposed to be secured in an angular recess 7 while the chamber B is being made.

In any case the ball rests upon its seat and closes the neck of the bottle until the latter is turned to permit the liquid to escape, when the ball assumes the position of Fig. 2.

The ball is in its normal position in Fig. 1, when no liquid can be poured into the bottle; and this is also true at all times, provided the mouth of the bottle is held above the horizontal. If we imagine, however, that the mouth of the bottle be turned downward, as shown in Fig. 2, or even lower, then if the specific gravity of the ball be greater than that of the liquid it might be practicable to pump the latter into the bottle, making it pass around and beyond (above) the ball. I provide against this by making the ball of lower specific gravity than the liquid, so that it will float. For this purpose a hollow glass ball can be used, or one made of cork, wood, or other comparatively light substance. If

then liquid be pumped into the bottle, the pressure of such liquid and the buoyancy of the ball will cause the latter to rise and seat itself before any liquid has entered the body of the bottle. This construction of the ball is an extra precaution which I take to render refilling impracticable under any circumstances.

I prefer to form the closed end of chamber 13 with a slight interior swell 8, against which the ball rests while the liquid is being poured out; This leaves a free course for the escape of liquid and at the same time gives more room for liquid pumped in to collect and exert its pressure on the ball to the greatest advantage.

\Vhen the buoyant ball is used, it must be held up when the bottle is first filled. hen

the ball is first placed in the chamber, a fine wire or wires can be connected to it so as to be easily detachable, their ends being caused to project out through the holes in chamber B. After the bottle is filled and before it is corked these wires can be pulled out, permitting the ball to fall upon its seat.

\Vhat I claim is In combination, a bottle and. a stopper, said stopper having an upper plate 1, lateral projections 3, a hollow body 13 with a valve-seat and openings 5 below the projections, said stopper being made of rigid material and having its projections permanently embedded in the wall of the bottleneck to hold the stopper against removal with a space between it and the wall of the bottle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have ailixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 19th day of November, 1895.

CHARLES A. LORD.

Vitncsses:

L. W. SEELY, GEo. T. KNOX. 

